Chirps from Center Ice

This afternoon Sheldon Souray was loaned to the Hershey Bears. Just when you thought the weak spot for the Bears was going to be defense, BLAM! they get Souray on loan. Article from Bears beat guy Tim Leone here.

Lots of mixed feelings on this from just about everywhere. I think that any time you get someone who is a three-time NHL All-Star is certainly helps your cause. It just makes this coming Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre all the more interesting.

Home in Wilkes-Barre, plenty of news:

• Andrew Hutchinson and Ryan Craig both cleared waivers, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
• Bombulie reported today that Pascal Morency was cut and Keven Veilleux missed practice today due to injury. It’s minor. He should be back next week.
• Ryan Schnell was offered a contract.
• I completely whiffed yesterday in mentioning here that Bryan Lerg is in town on a tryout. I remember the name from last year in our games with the Springfield Falcons. He plays center, and goodness knows we need depth at this position.

Bombulie scribbled down line combinations during practice today. Nothing official, but certainly close to what you will see Saturday.

Sterling-Jeffrey-Johnson
Conner-Vitale-Wallace
Collins-Lerg-Walker
Schnell-Sill-Boulerice
Haddad-Street-Petersen

Wagner-Potter
Strait-Bortuzzo
Fata-Sneep
Peltier-DeSantis

If you are a goalie geek, the good people over at The Goalie Guild released the October Scouting Journal.

Apparently Eric Tangradi has been shipped to the Wheel and Patrick Killeen has been recalled from The Nail straight to The Show. These look to be paper transactions only, as they want to keep Tangradi and Killeen in town in case Arron Asham can’t play tomorrow and if Marc-Andre Fleury or Brent Johnson get food poisoning or something.

For what it is worth, and it is nothing official, I called the Coal Street offices today and spoke to my ticket representative Chris and inquired about the December 30 game v. Hershey in Pittsburgh. They (Pittsburgh) bought out the home date from us (Wilkes-Barre) so they (Pittsburgh) control the tickets for the event. Chris had nothing official but said there may be a pre-sale for Season Ticket Holders. Let me repeat that. He had nothing official. So please don’t take my word for it (or his for that matter.) I also inquired about the January 1 game v. Norfolk. He told me that WBS has pushed the AHL hard to get the date moved, but Springfield isn’t budging. That doesn’t make any sense, because you are taking away 400 people who could hypothetically be in Pittsburgh for the Winter Classic instead of in an AHL arena watching an AHL game.

More tomorrow right before the NHL season kicks off with Penguins / Flyers.

A very, very, very candid discussion one post down between you guys regarding who’s right / who’s wrong regarding this Radio Show business. Let’s get the word out there. Lots of views today too. Good. Glad you are here. Bookmark this page on your browser and visit often.

General consensus is that many fans dislike the “sanctions” imposed. You all know where I stand regarding this. I stand behind everything I said below and in the comment sections. The fact that a hack blogger like me has stirred up a debate like this means that I must be doing something right.

In other news from around the East Division, Andrew Hutchinson and Ryan Craig were put on waivers by Pittsburgh. Our friend Joe Depto from the Fourth Period reports that Simon Despres is on his way back to the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. Analysis, as always, from Jonathan Bombulie here.

For the Bears, the Capitals assigned Jay Beagle, Mathieu Perreault and Andrew Gordon to Hershey today. Andrew Gordon has to clear by noon tomorrow. I think he will because the Florida Panthers waived Michael Grabner and he was claimed by the New York Islanders. Bears beat writer Time Leone tweeted today that that claiming off of the waiver wire lessens the risk of Gordon being claimed.

While I have eyes here, I did an AHL Preview for all 30 teams a few weeks ago. Just click the division you’d like to be taken to!

East Division / Atlantic Division / North Division / West Division

There was a ton of news scattered about the hockey world today. Lots to get to. In no particular order:

• Stand-up job by Eric P at the Wilkes-Blog doing individual player previews of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins. I thought about doing something here, but not only did Eric beat me to it, he did a better job that I could have imagined. Eric previewed the Forwards and Defensemen. Goalies are later this week.
• Dustin Jeffrey was sent to Wilkes-Barre today. Impeccable analysis from Jonathan Bombulie here. Further discussion regarding fringe players on Pittsburgh is found by Pittsburgh Penguins beat writer Rob Rossi here. Reading into it, WBS could potentially have a combination of Lovejoy, Engelland, Hutchinson sent to Wilkes-Barre or all three. Check it out.
• Check out this goal from Kaspars Daugavins of the Binghamton Senators. Make sure you are watching it on an empty stomach because you will certainly lose you lunch after watching this sickening goal. If Daugavins tries this against WBS, and I am in attendance (which I will be if it isn’t the Thanksgiving game) I am standing up and applauding. Damn the consequences.
• Great season preview of the Hershey Bears by a fan of theirs here (loaned to the Wilkes-Blog) Very in depth analysis.
• This next bit of news should come as no surprise: Danny Richmond was waived today. If not claimed, (he won’t be) he’ll be assigned to the Toronto Marlies.
• Staying in T-O Dot, ex-WBS Pen Luca Caputi was sent to the Marlies as well. This does come as a surprise to me. Caputi is NHL ready in my opinion and does legitimize the Marlies somewhat in the North Division this year. They do have Richmond acting on defense, so maybe it evens out?*
• Devils goaltender and loyal Twitter user Mike McKenna was assigned to Albany today.
• Alexandre Giroux was cut by parent Edmonton today. Man can’t catch a break. He’ll score a billion goals in the AHL but can’t hack it in the NHL? He makes the OKC Barons serious contenders.
• Staying with Bears alumni, Chris Bourque has defected from the KHL and is now playing with Lugano in the Swiss League. As long as he stays far far far far away from North America, because Washington retains his rights through December. (The link is in Swedish. Have some fun and find a translator – even better – when you find it, cut and paste it in the comment section!)
• Hate to go all Bears on you, but they revealed their alternate jerseys they will use for certain games in commemorating the AHL’s 75th anniversary today. Good stuff.

Pittsburgh has to have 23 guys on their roster by tomorrow. Stay with me on Twitter for reaction and check back here tomorrow afternoon for reaction way over the 140 character limit allowed over there.

* – of note, Nazem Kadri was also assigned. Toronto could do some damage in the North this year. And, if you are wondering why the negative tone on Danny Richmond, I could not stand him in Wilkes-Barre when he played here. Awful defenseman. Probably one of the worst ever to put on a Penguins uniform. Made players around him like Jon D’Aversa worse. D’Aversa is a point a game player now over in Germany. He could have been that here.